


Tony's First Post-Loki Christmas

by eviltrains



Series: Flawed Design [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cheer, Christmas, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Clint Barton & Tony Stark Friendship, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Feel-good, Fluff, Gen, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark Friendship, Panic Attacks, Presents, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:34:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28329804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eviltrains/pseuds/eviltrains
Summary: For Tony's first Christmas after escaping Loki's clutches, he and Clint and Natasha decide to celebrate, just the three of them.
Series: Flawed Design [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2066229
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	Tony's First Post-Loki Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone! I'm posting this in two parts because I didn't finish the whole thing yet, but I wanted to get at least something out on Christmas Day!! (Ideally it would've been before, but you know how these things tend to go.) You can look forward to the next part within a few days, but I hope you enjoy this!
> 
> Please note that the tags mention panic attacks - I hope it's a realistic portrayal!

This would be Tony’s first Christmas since he was freed.

Christmas in his previous life had never been very important to him. Expensive gifts and pleasantries were exchanged, and maybe a tree was brought up to the penthouse or into the mansion, never decorated by him, of course. He’d never had a lot of time for Christmas and he hadn’t cared to put much thought or effort into it anyway. Pepper had often tried to get him to be festive more, but he’d never been interested. And of course, after Tony was captured, Loki, being an alien, had no concept of Christmas, so there had been no Christmas spirit to be found anywhere within Tony’s prison.

However, he was starting to rethink his lack of festivity now that he was freed from Loki’s clutches. Clint seemed rather excited about Christmas, so Tony figured he owed it to him to put some effort into being festive. From the original Avengers it was now just Clint, Natasha and Tony, and Clint wanted to do something for Christmas with the three of them. None of them really had any other friends – they all seemed to know others around the base, but the only people each of them was really close to at all was each other. Clint and Natasha because of their shared history, of course. In the months since he’d been freed, despite the rocky start to their relationship, Natasha had warmed up to him and they’d become friends as well. And with Clint, well, it had been easy, so there was not much else to be said about that.

It hadn’t been too hard for any of them to get leave for Christmas Day. Tony didn’t know if that was customary or if Fury felt sorry for Tony. It might have been both; he wasn’t sure. Either way, it worked to their advantage so he tried not to overthink it.

-*-

Clint had an apartment away from the base, so that was where everyone was going for Christmas. Clint took Tony there on Christmas Eve.

“I haven’t been away from the base in months,” Tony remarked as they drove, looking out the window at the trees rushing by as they sped along the freeway.

“How’s it feel?” Clint asked him.

“It makes me a little nervous,” Tony admitted. “I know it’s irrational, but I’m always worried that Loki will somehow find me when I’m out here.”

“I feel like if he hasn’t come busting down the doors of the base yet, he probably isn’t coming for you,” Clint said.

“I hope you’re right,” was all Tony could say.

-*-

“Okay, this is where you’ll sleep,” Clint said, showing Tony the futon.

“Where’s Natasha gonna sleep?” Tony asked.

“Oh, her apartment actually isn’t too far from here, so she’s thinking she’ll just stay there,” Clint said.

“Oh, okay.”

-*-

Tony wasn’t sure if they were doing presents, but all the same he had gotten Clint a small hawk plushie, and Natasha a small spider plushie. It was extremely cliché, but he hadn’t been able to think of anything better, especially since he sort of tried to avoid thinking of missions and everything he used to do in the time before.

-*-

“You wanna do anything?” Clint asked shortly after they arrived at the apartment.

“Like what?” Tony asked.

“I dunno, cards or something? Or watch a movie? Or video games?”

“You know, it’s been a hot minute since we played video games. How about that?” Tony suggested. It was weird; he usually felt really awkward suggesting anything or expressing his opinions, which was, of course, Loki’s fault. But around Clint, it was becoming slightly easier, possibly because Clint was constantly encouraging him to share his opinion and rewarding him with positive feedback if he did. It was kind of ridiculous, but hey, it was working, and Tony’s therapist was glad that Tony had such a good friend.

“Sure. I’ve got a great racing game I’ve been dying to play co-op with someone on,” Clint said, kneeling in front of the TV stand and pulling out a console and some controllers. “Ooooh, we should play drunk!”

Clint got extremely shit-faced so Tony easily won most of the races. Clint complained that it wasn’t fair, and all Tony could do was laugh.

-*-

At 8:30 AM on Christmas morning, there was a banging on the apartment door. Tony awoke with a start, heart pounding in a panic. All he could think was, _Loki. Loki’s found me. He’s found me, and now he’s here, and he’s going to take me back into captivity and never let me go until I die._

As Tony started descending into a full-blown panic attack, Clint came running down the hall, swearing. “Fuck! Natasha!” He ran to the door and pulled it open before Tony could warn him, but of course, it was Natasha standing there.

“You idiot,” Natasha laughed as she walked into the apartment. “We agreed on the time, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, but I, uh… might have drank too much last night,” Clint admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

They both turned to Tony then, who was staring wide-eyed off into the distance.

“Fuck!” Clint swore again. “Tony, shit, I’m so sorry, of course that scared the hell out of you. Are you okay?” He came over to the futon and wrapped his arms around Tony, who was starting to hyperventilate. “Come on, bud, it’s okay… It’s just me and Nat. You’re okay. Just breathe. Come on, in, slowly, now out, slower. In, slowly, out, slower. Yes, just like that.” Clint kept repeating his words as Tony slowly started to calm down.

Once Tony had relaxed, Natasha blurted out, “Tony, I’m _so_ sorry. I didn’t even think—”

“No, it’s okay. You didn’t know,” Tony said quietly.

“What happened, anyway?” Clint asked.

“I just—the door started banging and all I could think was that it was Loki…” Tony trailed off.

“That’s understandable,” Clint said. “But you are safe here. Loki has no idea where you are, and anyway, he hasn’t come for you so I think you’re safe. I highly doubt that even a SHIELD base could stop Loki if he really wanted to take you back, honestly, so the fact that he hasn’t shown up to tear the whole place down to get to you means that for whatever reason he isn’t planning on it.”

Tony sighed. “That still makes me nervous, because what if he’s just, like, waiting until I let my guard down and then he comes for me?”

“Loki doesn’t strike me as being patient enough,” Clint said.

Tony shook his head. “You don’t know him like I do. He can be _very_ patient when he needs to be.”

“Even so, I think it’s unlikely,” Natasha said. “And even if he is planning to do that, you can’t live your whole life in fear, because it’s not a very likely outcome anyway… Although I know that’s much easier said than done,” she admitted.

Tony sighed. “I’m glad you’re acknowledging that, at least. I’m going to try to be less fearful but I don’t know if I can be.”

“Who knows, maybe one day we find a way to overthrow Loki so he no longer has any influence over you, or anyone,” Clint suggested.

Tony grinned. “I’d love that. Here’s hoping.”

**Author's Note:**

> Part two coming soon!


End file.
